Well tonight after about a month and a few looked at rust buckets I final found a 1973 914 in Deltona FL.

Owner was super nice and brought the car up to me,about 600 miles one way. He got there when he said and the car was as described.

The car is a 1973 2.0L with dual webbers. Paper work stated it had the euro pistons and a cam to match the webbers. MSD 6A box with matching coil and dizzy. 15" Fuchs alloys with a 911 Bilsten front and 5 lugs also out back. Pretty low profile tires.

Car started great and we backed it off the trailer. I did a little parking lot test drive and off I went. First thing I notice,as a first time 914 driver, first gear is really tough. It only really worked well with a fair amount of RPM's. If not she felt dead. I guess the linkage might need a check on the webbers as the pedal was pretty hard to feather. Next thing I notice is how tight the shift pattern is. I touched reverse a time of two on down and up shifts.

So I hit the highway and cruised @ 70 mph with the tach pushing 3400 RPM. I was worried that I had not found 5th. But after feeling I had power and the car seemed to sing I went with what it wanted. I didn't know till I searched a few mintues ago that is a common cruise RPM.

Car rode and drove great...other than the touchy first gear that I am still learning.

Half the gauges where out...I had speed,tach,fuel and volt. The car has the center console.

So after the hour ride home I was happy with the car.

SO any shifting tips for a 914 newbie??
Any idea of the horsepower this car would have??
Ok last one....anything I need to add the keep the car running safe,heat and oil pressure/temp wise?? I hear heat kills these cars



I plan on repainting the rocker cover and targa in short order and a full respary/bodywork in the spring

Nice! 5 lug conversion to boot!

Congrats!!!

I'm too new to give you any tips, just got one myself but welcome, nice looking car.

At 70mph you should read 3000 rpm. The tires are too small ... That is the problem with low profiles that don't match the original diameter.

Shift patern is tight but you will get used to it. After 100 miles you won't have any problems.

Welcome! It's a slippery slope you're sliding onto. Madness soon follows.

You might just do what many have been advised to do when getting your first 914. Don't change anything at first, just drive it like you stole it!

Just my .02 worth, I'd think about painting the rockers black, but leave the top alone for the moment.



As far as your question about heat: These are air/oil cooled engines. Put in a good oil. Make sure the valves are adjusted properly, and the engine properly tuned. If it has a temp gauge, get it working. If you think about adding any gauges, I recommend a cyl head temp (CHT) gauge before any others.

If you have questions, ASK! We've heard them all before, but this is new to you, learn from the many experienced wrenches on this (and other) sites.

Most of all, enjoy your new toy.

I rode around a little this morning add it is getting better...really I'm learning. I have been shifting at a few more RPM than yesterday afternoon and things seem to be better.

How much fuel do these cars hold??
I put about 7 gallons in and I only got from 1/2 to 3/4 tank on the gauge.

15 gallon fuel tank.

Look to J West for a good replacement shifter and rod. It will help you find gears better. You have to decide when to shift based on your engine performance.

Take a good look at the shifter linkage bushings from the firewall on back, check the set screws and replace any that are worn. Then perform a very easy to do shifter adjustment, you'll find the factory shifter more than adequate for it's job. Nice looking 914 you have there, you're going to love it I'm sure. Find out as much about it as you can, maintain it properly and don't for a minute assume the previous owner has every detail in order...go over it with a fine toothed comb. Your tank holds 16.4 gallons of petro, when the reserve light comes on you have less than a gallon left.

...Welcome, enjoy your car

Everything all those good people said but if you really want to learn and love your 914, It is a MUST to bring it down to MUSR11 in October on the Tail of the Dragon, right in your back yard. Lots of 914s going to be there with owners full of information and some other stuff too. Good driving to be done and great new friends to be made. Come and enjoy and congrats on a nice looking car!

How to shift? Shift out, pause, shift in.
Remember this is a 40 year old transmission design.

You will be amazed at how well this 40yo transmission design can shift. Do the inspections as stated here. Adjustments and tips can be found below in my 31 pages of transmission notes

Well I drove the car over to a freinds house...talked up how cool the car was then when I went to drive away in glory......no start. I just get a click than nothing. Battery is good maybe the starter has died.

Also I started looking more in depth on the car and I knew I would find rust....well fiberglass over ??? I removed the rocker cover on the passenger side when I noticed the jack post was missing. I looked when I brought the car and everything seemed sound. Also found a little spot or two in the passenger rear floor and seat brace. I guess it is not a killer for what I paid for the car and the goodies I got. I am going to get the starting issue fixed and drive the rest of the season anyway.

Aw man!! Sorry to hear about the surprises.. Keep your spirits up.. there's fun in the tinkering...

Well I think I have been had !!!!!

I checked my engine code and on the center back of the case it has a W1 stamped into the aluminum case where the halfs come together.

Does this mean I have a 1.7 ??
If so I am going to be hot to say the least. But I guess it would be my fault for not checking.

and Give us some pics of your engine and interior!

http://www.914world.com/specs/engnumbs.php

Looks like it is an early 1.7. It is not uncommon, but blatently wrong, to refer to a 1.7 engine that has big jugs as a 2 liter. It displaces about 2 liters but the big difference lies in the heads.

At least they made the effort to put in a cam to match the carbs. Do you have any details on the pistons and cam? You may well have a great engine. Just not a factory 2.0

I am waiting for the PO to send me the paperwork. I left it in his car when we were doing the title work and $$ exchange.

Welcome and nice looking car! How far are you from me?

About an hour, Jacksonville Right??

Try looking for a longer number next to the rect. oil breather

OK historians (Dave, Pat ...) That switch layout is not the same as either of my 73's. Is that aftermarket? The hazard is a rocker and the fog light looks like an innie.

its just missing the plastic bezel

Yeah I need to pull some knobs and check out what the do...the one missing the cover is the hazard flasher.

I don't know about the rocker switch.

Ok I know I have a bad starter but someone wired in a button under the dash that is used to start the car. I hate it. One of my projects very soon will be taking that button back out of the loop.

I am still a little bumed about the fiberglass work I found but hey maybe we will have a long winter...

Well I'm feeling better about the car today.
New Starter will be here tomorrow and maybe I can get it on before hurricane Earl comes knocking. I am going to try and move her to a enclosed shop.

Replaced the battery after testing.
But after I replaced it I relized I had forgotten my keys.

I did talk we the owner and shop that did all the work on the car.

Car has a later model 911 SC front end and brakes also real 914-6 stub axles were used in the rear 5 lug conversion. The conversion was done years ago and the shop had a set sitting on the shelf.

They confirmed the 2.0L engine and the parts used.
Know I just need to get the car to start